NEW Course 15

Connect

------------- with others is instinctual human behavior, but it doesn't happen by chance. It requires intentional effort from all parties in order for the connections to last. There is some skill needed to develop a relationship where all parties feel valued. Before a true connection occurs, you might have to engage repeatedly... at multiple forums and venues...before it becomes lasting. Eventually, trust forms and the community comes together, united for a purpose.

12 Targets to Enhance Resilience and Operational Performance

1. Be a Wingman: Taking responsibility to take care for themselves, others and Air Force families 2. "Comm" Check: Improving interpersonal communication skills by studying the communication model (sender-message-receiver-response), promoting healthy communication 3. Lead From the Front: Demonstrating good leadership by personally using these techniques. Discuss them with other Airmen and hold them accountable. 4. Mental Rehearsal: Practicing and incorporating the practice of imaging oneself accomplishing a task before actually doing it. Visualization is a proven technique that supports success. 5. Nutrition: Eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water together is the optimal fuel to ensure the mind and body operate at peak performance. You'll receive some additional nutritional tools during Comprehension Airmen Fitness 6. Physical Fitness: Exercising regularly improves strength and stamina, enhancing the body and mind to function at peak performance and creating a sense of well-being. 7. Problem Solving: Using effective problem solving techniques that increase the probability for sound solutions. 8. Purpose (Why): Maintaining a clear understanding of one's purpose, role in the mission, reasons for serving, and contributions to the bigger mission can rejuvenate a sense of purpose in life. 9. Recharge: Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and participating in activities that encourage relaxation allowing the body time to recover between challenges. 10. Situational Awareness (SA): Assessing each situation, leveraging thoughts, awareness of the situation and training to improve performance during challenging situations. 11. Strategic Thinking: Evaluating life's events and paying attention to the thoughts one has during each good and bad situation. Build your self-confidence by recollecting previous challenges that you've experience and take away the lessons learned from each circumstance. 12. Tactical Breathing: Using breathing techniques to release muscle tension and return one's focus and attention to the task at hand.

Innovators value themselves as..

1. Full of ideas 2. Provocation 3. Assumption Challengers 4. Accepting of Change 5. Intuitive 6. Mold breakers 7. Shocking 8. Daring risk-takers

Adaptors value themselves as

1. Improvers 2. Resource effective 3. Supportive 4. Consistent 5. Methodical 6. Masters of Structure 7. Sound 8. Prudent risk takers

Tendencies of Innovators

1. Prefer less structure 2. Challenge or break the paradigm in order to solve problems 3. May break the rules to solve problems 4. Catalyze the necessary turbulence 5. Help create break from worn out systems 6. Work outside the system to bring about different ideas and different structures for the high Adaptors 7. Provide the break with accepted theory 8. Provoke the group to reconsider consensus related issues 9. Supply the dynamics to bring about discontinuous change

Tendencies of Adaptors

1. Refer more structure 2. Improve or extend the paradigm in order to solve problems 3. Use rules to solve problems 4. Revitalize current systems for tomorrow 5. Work within the system to bring about new improvements, ideas, and greater efficiencies 6. Supply consensus, sensitivity, and group cohesion 7. Provide stability and continuity 8. Provide a safe testing group for risky ventures

Airmanship

A certainty you feel in everything you do. Refers to all Airmen, skilled practitioners, and combatants of air, space and cyberspace warfare

Organizational relevance

A leader is relevant when he or she understands the organization, meets the needs of the organization or when required intentionally changes the organizational culture.

Bridgers

A person willing to help other's understand the cognitive approach between those being bridged through interpersonal skills, active listening, and effective questioning techniques, ---------- accomplish this through the roles of counselor, mediator and negotiator. Bridging is a social role that requires interpersonal skills, they tend to be acceptable to those they are attempting to bridge and have a willingness to fulfill the role.

Oath of Enlistment

A public, sworn commitment where you pledge to do whatever is necessary, whenever called upon to support the principles of the US Constitution that laid the groundwork for the Nation's freedom against the enemy. A solemn promise to do your duty, to meet your responsibilities and to lead others in the exercise of your duty.

Relevance

A statement can be clear, accurate and precise but not relevant. Establish relevance by asking "How is that connected to the question, How does that bear on the issue?'

Precision

A statement could be both clear and accurate, but not precise' "Could you give me more detail, could you be more specific". The goal is to get as much information as possible before you make a decision.

Warrior Ethos

A tenacious mentality ignited by a hardiness of spirit and courage that, when internalized, becomes the driving force that allows you to overcome all hardships with honor. (FLY FIGHT AND WIN) Provides the tenacity to push though using self-discipline, self-control, and hardiness of spirit despite physical and mental hardships with moral and physical courage.

Profession of Arms

A vocation comprised of experts in the design, generation, support and application of global vigilance, global reach, and global power serving under civilian authority entrusted to defend the Constitution and accountable to the American people.

Depth

Addresses the ability to consider the complexities of an issue of just skimming the surface. "How does your answer address the complexities in the question, how are you taking into account the problems in the question, are you dealing with the most significant factors.

Air Force Resiliency

Airmen's ability to withstand, recover, and/or grow in the face or stressors and changing demands by orchestrating the use of base resources, support activities, peers and leadership. Resiliency helps you overcome and "bounce back" from the physical and mental hardships faced every day.

Think about your purpose (goal or objective)

All reasoning has a purpose, you should be clear about your purpose and ensure it's justification (ensure you take the time to state your purpose clearly, distinguish your purpose from related purposes, check periodically to be sure you're still on target with your goal, choose significant and realistic purposes)

Opportunity

An appropriate or favorable time, occasion, or situation favorable for attainment of a goal.

Motive

An emotional, desire, or physiological need that cause one to take action

Fair-mindedness

As a leader in your organization, believing that something is not fair based solee on your perspective can result in ineffective, one-sided decision. This could impact your credibility and the faith your people have in your ability to lead. Involves treating all viewpoints alike without thinking about or referencing your own feelings or interest, or the feeling or interest of your friends, peers, or community.

Learning Capability

As an NCO it's your responsibility to provide opportunity and motive for the Airmen you lead during the problem solving process. Even highly adaptive people are creative and do not require structure to problem

Subordinate Effectiveness

As an NCO your ability to help your subordinates understand A-I Theory will allow for them to better understand each other and provide the motive to persevere and drive through the tough times. This will allow for them to work more efficiently together when it comes to group/team projects and problem solving.

Relevance

Both an outcome and on act. Occurring when all the elements of the RLAM are brought to bear in a manner appropriate to the organization, environment, and people.

Care

By being a good wingman, we willfully exhibit integrity, empathy and respect in what we choose to do and say. When respect is widespread, each person is willing to take initiative and act for the good of the organization.

Five C's

Care Commit Connect Communicate Celebrate

Celebrate

Celebrating positive results and accomplishments show appreciations for those around us. A good leader communicates expectations and provides constructive feedback thus providing an environment for growth and development. Recognition for and celebrations of a team's achievements enforces positive behaviors and encourages commitment to the organization, mission and each other.

Commit

Choosing to help others become their very best, forging bonds, and appreciating others point of view. People who seek to do their part help unite everyone in a common mission, purpose or vision. By working collaborative, we build stronger communities that promote self-sufficiency and enhance mission readiness, retention and adaptation to the Air Force way of life.

Breadth

Consider if there's an argument/position that hasn't been heard yet. In order to determine breadth you can ask, do I need to consider another point of view, is there another way to look at this question/problem, what this would look like from the point of view from my subordinates, peers, and or commander

Cognitive

Defined as "relating to, being, or involving conscious intellectual activity (as thinking, reasoning, or remembering)."

A-I Theory Continuum

Depicted in conjunction with the bell curve and it displays the distribution of style preferences from strong adaptor to strong innovator. Although your position on the continuum remains stable over time, how you are perceived is relative and changes depending on who (individuals/groups) you are interacting with.

Personality

Developed and defined by your DNA, the environment in which you live, and a leaders delivery system. The filter through which all talent, qualities, ,and skills must pass in order to be delivered. Emotional maturity or emotional intelligence

Mission Effectiveness

Everyone's priority. When all members of the organization are able to provide input, both adaptors and innovators, the mission will be enhanced due to the variety of creative thought

People-relevance

Good leaders make positive difference in the lives of followers. A senior leader must care for, encourage, coach, guide, develop and mentor both followers and other leaders.

Resilience

How you are able to withstand, recover, and/or grow from these stressful situations. A holistic approach to developing overarching Airmen fitness and resilience.

Core Values

Institutional values and principles of conduct that provide the moral framework within which military activities take place.

Intellectual Courage

Involved the need to face and fairly address ideas, beliefs or viewpoints you may have strong negative emotions about or may not want to justified. Connected with the ability to consider that ideas seen as absurd of different are sometimes rationally. You should encourage to be true to your own thinking, be willing to answer questions, willing to consider truth in beliefs/viewpoints different from your own.

Open-mindedness

Involves a willingness to investigate viewpoints different from your own. Also means you're open to actively listening and thinking about an idea, solution or criticism that on the surface, you might not normally subscribe to.... even if you believe your viewpoint is the right one.

Intellectual Humility

Involves being aware of the limits of your knowledge, includes recognizing any potential sensitivity you might have to a subject/situation based on your personal perspective, being aware of any biases and prejudices you may have, and acknowledge the limitations of your point of view. It implies you don't combine a need to be intellectually better than everyone else, boastful behavior, or excessive pride in your level of intellect with insight into the logical foundations of your beliefs.

Confidence in Reason

Involves confidence that in the long run, your own higher interest and those of humankind at large will be best served by allowing people the right to reason and be encouraging people to come to their own conclusions via their own rational faculties. This trait is essential for NCO's since they often fill the role of the supervisor and mentor for junior Airmen in the organization. It also includes faith that, with proper encouragement and cultivation, people can learn to think for themselves to form rational viewpoints., draw reasonable individuals, despite common obstacles and hindrances we all face.

Intellectual Autonomy

Involves having rational control of your beliefs, values, inferences. The idea of critical thinking is for you to learn to think for yourself and to gain command over your thought process. A commitment to analyzing and evaluating beliefs on the basis of reason and evidence, to question when it's rational to question, individuals what exhibit this trait are not intellectually lazy., they are willing to exercise free thinking and are motivated to investigate evidence and data in order to develop their own understanding, independent from the understanding of others.

CAF Framework

Is broken down into four domains; Mental Physical Social and Spiritual. You must be fit in all four domains. Once domains are reinforced, your level of resilience improves

Courage

Is not the absence of fear, but doing the right thing despite the fear? -------- empowers us to take necessary personal or professional risk, make decisions that may be unpopular, and admit to our mistakes; having the courage to take these actions is crucial for the mission.

Comprehensive Airmen Fitness

Its intended to be used as an example of how stressors impact your people and actions you can take to help them...not as a diagnostic tool. If you or your people need help dealing with stress, please seek assistance from the appropriate agencies.

Obligations and Requirements

Leaders incur obligation and assume responsibility for requirements though a variety of means. --------------- are related, sometimes even overlapping, they are however, not the same thing, Leaders obligate themselves to a higher purpose for the privileged of leading others, whereas, requirements are imposed, varied, sometimes onerous, often routine, but never optional.

Managing A-I Diversity

Leaders must be able to effectively manage diversity that stems from people who's cognitive preference ranges from highly adaptive to highly innovative and every point in between As an NCO, it is important to now only understand your cognitive style, but it is equally important to understand the preferred styles of others you interact with on a daily basis.

Understand your point of view

Make sure you understand the limitations of your point of view and that you fully consider other relevant viewpoints. (identify your point of view and identify their strengths as well as weaknesses, strive to be fair-minded in evaluation of all points of view

Intellectual humility

Means adhering tentatively to recently acquired opinion. Being prepared to examine new evidence and arguments even if such examination leads your own cherished beliefs; to stop thinking that complex issues can be reduced matters of right and wrong or black and white and to begin thinking in terms of degrees of certainty.

Courage

Mental or moral strength to venture, preserve, a withstand danger, fear or difficulty.

Environmental relevance

More encompassing than organizations relevance. A leader must possess the ability to build bridges represent their organization, and operate within the interest of adjacent, higher and lower organizations.

Fairness

Naturally thinking from your own perspective, from a point of view which tends to favor your position. Implies treating all relevant viewpoints alike without reference to your own feelings or interest "Are you considering all relevant viewpoints in good faith, are you distorting some information to maintain your biased perspective, are you more concerned about your/subordinates/superiors vested interest than the common good.

Accuracy

Once you have determined a statement is clear, check to see if the it is true. "is that really true, could we check that, how could we find out if this true?"

Right to Lead Assessment Module (RLAM)

One way of taking stock of your own leadership as a useful framework to consider leadership in general. The element of competence as personality tend to be interactive and might be emphasized to meet specific challenges.

Commitment

People will commit to a leader who is relevant, if you make a positive impact in the lives of your people and on your organization, the people will commit to you and your efforts.

5 C's of CAF

Positive behaviors that are essential to developing a healthy sense of self and the ability to effectively interact with others

Innovators

Prefer to solve problems in a manner that is less concerned with structure and details. Creativity is exercise "Outside the box" Someone that prefers this style usually breaks or goes against the current organizational paradigm when coming up with ideas

Adaptors

Prefer to solve problems in a structured and methodical manner. Creativity is exercised "Inside the box" Someone that prefers this style usually comes up with ideas by modifying the current organizational paradigm

State the question at Issue (problem to be solve)

Reasoning is an attempt to figure something out, to settle some question, to solve some problems. You can lay out the problem in a more specific way or use questions to help guide your thinking. State the question and issue clearly and precisely, express the question in several ways to clarify its meaning, break the question into sub questions distinguish question that have definitive answers (yes/no) from those that a matter of opinion or require multiple viewpoints)

Check your Assumptions

Reasoning is based on assumptions, beliefs you take for granted (clearly identify and determine whether they're justifiable by sound evidence, consider how your assumptions are shaping your point of view.)

Watch your inferences (interruptions, conclusions, and solutions)

Reasoning is expressed through, and shaped by concepts. Concepts are ideas, theories, laws, principles or hypotheses you use in thinking to make sense of things. You should be clear about the concepts you're using, ensure there are no defects in them, and use them justifiably. (identify key concepts and explain them clearly, consider alternative concepts or alternative definitions of concepts, ensure you are using concepts with precision.)

Style

Refers to "how we think," our preferred cognitive approach to problem solving and decision making, These style differences, which are normally distributed along a continuum, range from strong adoption to strong innovation.

Progressive Professionalism (P2)

Refers to continuous personal and professional development which includes education, training and experience. All of which helps Airmen move to the right and helps advance the POA. A personal commitment and loyalty to Air Force standards and expectations framed within an environment of shared trust, guided by Air Force Core Values.

Level

Refers to potential capacity (intelligence or talent) and learned levels (such as management, supervisory and leadership competency). It is important to remember that both styles (adaptive and innovative are found at every level from highest to lowest.

Critical Thinking

Requires you to combine logic, creativity, common sense and intuition into structured expressions of clear solutions and ideas useful and relevant to the the task. Helps us become more effective in mission related decisions

Small Gaps

Small groups allow for an easier solution to a problem to be reached. Advantage is that there is little, if any conflict. Disadvantage is like-minded thinking can lead to less than optimal solutions.

Universal Intellectual Standards

Standards which should be applied to thinking to help ensure its quality

Gather Information (data, fact, observation and experiences)

Tend to use these items, along with your experiences to figure things out. (Restrict your claims to those supported by the date that you have, search for information that opposed your position as well as information that supports it, ensure all information you use is clear accurate and relevant and ensure you have gathered sufficient information)

Moral Courage

The ability and willingness to expose oneself to inconvenience, suffering, retaliation, resentment or disapproval to stand up for what one believes to be right. The power and determination to follow what you believe to be right, regardless of cost to yourself. Leading from a place of honesty, authenticity, empathy and compassion. Pushes us to make conscious decisions about what kind of attitudes and behaviors reflect the highest versions of ourselves and who we aspire to be, and which ones diminish us.

Self-management

The ability to control one's emotions and actions

Relationship-Management

The ability to establish a meaningful connection and bond to others

Competence

The actual state (level) of skill and abilities you possesses; whereas, "competency" is the current state of your ability, what you are able to do ; competency is what is demanded of you by a position, duty or situation.

Significant Gaps

The advantage is a wider range of thinking that can lead to outstanding solutions for Problem A. The disadvantage is that when the cognitive gap is at the extreme ends of the ranges for the groups these individuals or groups experience a great deal of conflict and need increasing amounts of coping behavior to manage relationships.

Large Gaps

The advantage is that different perspectives lead to better solutions hen dealing with Problem A. The disadvantage is that individuals must expend time and energy coping and managing Problem B. Individuals must consciously manage relationships due to minor, but very noticeable conflicts caused by their differences in styles

Hardiness of Spirit

The capacity for enduring or sustaining hardship, privation, ect.; capability of surviving under unfavorable condition, courage; boldness audacity

Cognitive Gap

The distance between one's preferred style and the behavior actually needed in a particular situation. It is also described as the distance in a social interaction, between the preferred styles of two people, a person and a group or between two groups.

Coping Behavior

The effort required to do something that is outside one's preferred style

Warrior Spirit

The embodiment of Warrior Ethos. You exhibit warrior spirit by maintaining military bearing, placing the welfare of peers or subordinates ahead of your personal needs or comfort and maintaining yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially.

Self-Awareness

The extent to which a leader has realistic understanding of their own being

Honesty

The hallmark of integrity; the only way to preserve the trust we hold so dear with each other and with the population we serve.

Social-Awareness

The level at which a leader understands the values of relationships and other people

Physical Courage

The observable actions one takes when faced with fear, pain, and uncertainty of danger.

Accountability

The responsibility with an audience. Maintain transparency, seek honest and constructive feedback, and take ownership of the outcomes of their actions and decisions. Responsible for themselves and others and refrain from actions which discredit themselves or our Service.

Clarity

The state of being clear and clear of ambiguity. Its the gateway standard "Could you elaborate further on that point, could you express that point in another way, could you give me an illustrations or example".

Character

The sum of those qualities of moral excellence that stimulates a person to do the right thing, which is manifested through right and proper actions despite internal and external pressures to the contrary, Is determined by the decisions, choices and actions you make.

Communicate

The way we express ourselves, either verbally or in writing, can have a profound effect on how our message is received and understood. Learning positive and proactive communication skills increases the chance of effectively connecting with others. Choosing the right method of communication, good word choice, and being an attentive listener increases the likelihood that the intended message will achieve its desired objective.

Cognitive Gap

There are two forms of ----------. The first form is the distance between one's preferred style and the behavior actually needed in a particular situation. The second form is the distance in a social interaction between the preferred styles of two people, a person and a group, or between two groups.

Problem B

This encompasses all of the problems (team dynamics, interpersonal skills, communication, collaboration, ect) that stem from "human interactions." Problem B's steal time and energy from efforts needed to solve Problem A

Problem A

This is an "actual problem" that two or more individuals come together to solve

Intellectual Integrity

Trait that involved recognizing the need to be true to your own thinking... to be consistent in the intellectual standards you apply. Holding yourself to the same rigorous standards of evidence and proof to which you would hold someone else, practicing what you advocate for others. People with this trait hold themselves to the same reasoning standards they hold others to.

Intellectual Empathy

Trait that involves being able to put aside your own viewpoint, assumptions and idea in order to step into the shows of others so you can genuinely understand them. It is displayed in your ability to accurately reconstruct the viewpoints and reasoning of other and to reason from premises, assumptions and ideas other than your own, Those who exhibit this trait are less likely to hold on to their position so strongly that they disregard the viewpoints of others.

Intellectual Perseverance

Trait that involves being aware of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations you may have face. Requires a firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of other. Includes being comfortable struggling with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time in order to achieve deeper understanding or insight. This trait could be seen as one of the toughest of the Essential Intellectual Traits. You must resist the urge to panic when you don't have all the information you need to make a decision, or get frustrated if you don't know how long it will take you to get the information you need.

Essential Intellectual Traits

Traits of mind and character necessary for right action and thinking. They are dispositions of mind and character essential for fair-minded rationality or said another way the virtues that distinguished the closed-minded, self serving critical thinker from the open-minded, truth seeking critical thinker.

NCO Effectiveness

Typically work in or create teams to complete mission taskers, they typically solve problems better than individuals solve them and therefore, teams are seen as superior in handling complex problems for which they were created and if they can stay focused on a Problem A.

Logic

When the combination of thought are mutually supportive and make sense. "Does this really make sense, does that follow from what you said how does that follow, before you implied one thing, now you're saying something else. How can both be true.

Think through the implications (consequences)

Work to ensure you have a clear understanding of the implication of your reasoning and the consequences of your behavior think before you act. (Trace the implication and consequences that follow from your reasoning, search for negative as well as positive implication, consider all possible consequences.

Problem Solving Limits

Workplace diversity refers to a variety of differences between people in an organization to include cognitive style. Diversity fosters a high level of creativity and should provide a larger pool of ideas and experiences to aid in the problem solving process

High Motivation

You should have a natural curiosity to further your understanding and be highly motivated to put in the necessary work sufficient to evaluate the multiple sides of issues. You can overcome the lack of essential knowledge on a subject needed to reach a sufficient level of understanding before making judgements.

Free Thinking

You should have an independent mind, To think freely you must restrain the desire to believe because of social pressure to conform. You must be willing to ask if conformity is motivating your belief or opinion and is so, have the strength and courage to at least temporarily abandon your position until you can complete a more objective and thorough evaluation

Authorities

Your authority flows from the constitution, the congress and powers vested in you by the president, as Commander-in-Chief. Powers that all you to accomplish specific missions, and maintain good order and discipline.

Confidence

Your followers will listen to what you say, but more importantly, they will watch what you do. What you do, the decisions you make, how you interact with people, and your demonstrated level of competence.

Respect

Your rank, position, and experience provide the basis for respect.